Tag: Patrick Grady

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will issue a response to EDM 337, G7 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition.

Mr Nick Hurd

The purpose of the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition is to promote inclusive and responsible investment. This is required to sustainably link smallholder farmers into markets, reducing poverty and to ensure that all people have access to high quality and affordable food. The £600 million pledged to the New Alliance by DFID will fund bilateral projects in six original New Alliance partner countries aimed at improving agricultural incomes, food security and nutrition of the extreme poor, including through agroecological practices.

DFID is effectively supporting a wide range of programmes with agroecological components, from soil and water conservation and land use management to climate resilience and conservation agriculture. For example, we fund the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) for the Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP) to support 6 million farmers to be more resilient to climate change through a broad set of agroecological and sustainable practices.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-04-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will issue a response to Early Day Motion 1339, Drought in Ethiopia.

Mr Nick Hurd

The UK Government is extremely concerned about the impact of the current drought in Ethiopia, and is following the situation closely. We are working with the UN system, the EC and other donors to help the Ethiopian Government manage the current crisis. The UK Government has provided one of the earliest and largest commitments of support, providing £113 million in assistance to food security and other needs since July 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, which power stations are equipped with black start capability; and how many such stations are in each constituent part of the UK.

Andrea Leadsom

National Grid is responsible for maintaining a Black Start capability for the Great Britain national electricity transmission system and contracts with certain large power stations to provide this service within defined geographic zones.

For both security reasons and due to commercial sensitivities, information on which power stations have black start contracts is not publicly available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent meetings she has had with the National Security Adviser on transparency and effectiveness of the cross-government aid funds.

Rory Stewart

The Secretary of State for International Development has regular meetings with the National Security Adviser and discusses a range of issues.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-10-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to support the needs and rights of older people in developing countries; and whether ageing will be reinstated as a responsibility under her Department’s Inclusive Societies policy.

Rory Stewart

Many DFID programmes reach and include older people, supporting their needs and rights. These include programmes to strengthen health systems and eye care, and specific programmes for the poorest including supporting slum dwellers in Tanzania and supporting widows resulting from the Genocide in Rwanda. Ageing features in DFID country level poverty analyses as a key factor in understanding poverty. In addition DFID is taking a global leadership role to achieve better quality and use of age disaggregated data to ensure that the Sustainable Development Goals leave no one behind. DFID’s Inclusive Societies Department in Policy Division holds policy responsibility for ageing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on indefinite national service continuing to be practised in Eritrea.

James Duddridge

The British Government continues to have concerns about indefinite national service in Eritrea. We welcomed the Government of Eritrea’s pledge earlier this year to limit national service to 18 months for all new recruits starting from March 2015. However, we have been clear to the government in Asmara that it must now follow through on this commitment and that the change must be publicised widely in Eritrea itself. We have also been clear that the 18 month limit should apply to all conscripts not just those who have been enlisted recently.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether the UK will be represented at the meeting of the World Health Organisation’s Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination in Geneva on 7 to 9 March 2016; and what the Government’s priorities for the meeting will be.

Mr Nick Hurd

We are currently in discussions with the World Health Organisation (WHO) regarding who will represent the UK at the meeting of the World Health Organisation’s Consultative Expert Working Group in March 2016.

The UK Government priority is to see a Pooled Fund for Research and Development established with support from WHO Member States, especially those that have not provided funding for this type of work. The UK Government supports systems that separate the market incentives to produce a drug or vaccine from the Research & Development process, prioritise public health need over profit and work in partnership with a wide range of different organisations, covering the public, private and philanthropic sectors. The UK is the second largest government supporter of the development of new products through product development partnerships, which prioritise need over profit.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will issue a response to EDM 1011, Fire at Mzuzu University, Malawi.

Mr Nick Hurd

The UK recognises the terrible loss for Mzuzu University and academia in Malawi caused by the fire in December 2015 which destroyed the university library and its stock of 45,000 books.

We commend the Scotland Malawi Partnership for coordinating efforts in Scotland to appeal for donations for the restocking and rebuilding of the library. Officials have met with the Scotland Malawi Partnership and the Mzuzu University Vice Chancellor to discuss possible funding opportunities. It is encouraging that Scottish Universities are again demonstrating Scotland’s unique people to people approach to supporting Malawi at a time when the country is also facing a humanitarian crisis and funding priorities are in strong competition.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-05-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will issue a response to Early Day Motion 660, Legal recognition for people who do not associate with a particular gender.

James Brokenshire

UK passports currently recognise only male and female genders. To introduce a third category, such a denoted by an ‘X’ in the passport, would require a change in UK primary legislation.

The Government is currently considering this issue as part of its response to the report on Transgender Equality by the Women and Equalities Select Committee.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Patrick Grady on 2016-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect on alleged violence against ethnic groups in Gambia.

James Duddridge

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not held recent discussions with the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect on alleged violence against ethnic groups in The Gambia. However, we fully endorse the statement of the UN Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, released on 10 June, in which he condemned inflammatory rhetoric by President Jammeh, and called for the rights of all populations of The Gambia to be respected. We regularly press the government of The Gambia at senior levels to protect the human rights of all its people.

Our Ambassador to The Gambia recently has discussed the situation in the country with the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for West Africa and with UN representatives in Banjul. We and our partners will continue to monitor the situation closely, particularly the protection afforded to different ethnic groups.